NANJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stratigrapher Shen Shuzhong has been given the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) Medal during the just-concluded 3rd International Congress on Stratigraphy held in Italy.

Shen, an academician with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology under Chinese Academy of Sciences, and professor of the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, is the first Asian scientist to receive the award, according to the university.

The ICS Medal is awarded to honor high-quality research in stratigraphy by recognizing a single major in advancing stratigraphical knowledge. The award has been given every four years since 2004.

Shen made academic achievements on Permian stratigraphy and the end-Permian mass extinction. He has also contributed to defining two golden spikes, or Global Standard Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) in China.

Shen's academic results have been published on scientific journals including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and Earth and Planetary Science Letters (EPSL).